Source: Associated Press
NEW DELHI (AP) — The lower house of India’s Parliament on Thursday approved a bill to implement the Supreme Court’s ruling that found the Muslim practice of instant divorce was unconstitutional.
The Congress and other main opposition parties walked out of the house in opposition to a three-year jail term for a husband who divorced in such a way, arguing that no other religion has such punishment for desertion. The bill also had no clarity on spousal support if men were jailed for an instant divorce, the opposition leaders said.
Mallikarjun Kharge, a Congress party leader, demanded that a parliamentary committee consider these provisions of the bill to reach a consensus on the issue.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government doesn’t have a majority in the upper house and will need some opposition support to make the bill a law.
Categories: Asia, India, Muslims, The Muslim Times